Scott Benner 6/16/14 Scott Benner 6/16/14

DexCom’s Forthcoming Mobile App Platform to Integrate Data from Insulet’s OmniPod System

Well, well... This sounds like a positive step!

SAN DIEGO, Jun 13, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Insulet Corporation and DexCom, Inc. announced today their intention to enable DexCom’s mobile App platform, which is currently under development, to integrate data from Insulet’s OmniPod System. This will be the first version of a mobile App that is capable of incorporating glucose and other diabetes-related data from patients’ devices and displaying the integrated data via a smartphone App. This event also marks the start of DexCom's open architecture approach to diabetes-related data which will include an “approved by DexCom” indication to validate the authenticity of devices and Apps integrating DexCom CGM data.

“Providing OmniPod users and their healthcare providers with easier access to their management data is another key step in making diabetes a smaller part of life,” said Duane DeSisto, President and Chief Executive Officer of Insulet. “Through DexCom’s mobile App platform, OmniPod users will have greater access to the data that is so essential for understanding and improving diabetes management. We are proud to help people with diabetes gain greater and easier control over their disease and we remain dedicated to providing advancements that further this mission.”

“More than ever, we believe that effective diabetes management depends on timely and accurate data. That is why we are excited to complete development of the App and integrate data from Insulet’s OmniPod system,” said Terry Gregg, DexCom’s CEO.

Read the entire announcement here.

Scott Benner 6/14/14 Scott Benner 6/14/14

21 Things I Learned Being a Stay-at-Home Dad

I don't know how to best say this, so I'm just going to blurt it out. If you have never seen, or had, a pelvic exam, let me tell you something -- it's not how you imagine it.

If you were just thinking that what this Father's Day really needs is an Internet post full of life lessons from a stay-at-home dad who wrote a book (that won a literary parenting award), boy, did you click on the right link. If that's not what you were thinking, I'd read this anyway because not only do I say vagina about halfway down the page, but also there's some meaningful stuff on this list. Let's face it, who would you rather take advice from, an award-winning author who says "vagina" or those stuffy expert types? Happy Father's Day!

21 Things I Learned Being a Stay At Home Dad for the Last 14 Years.

By Scott Benner

Buy on Amazon

Plainly, sorting the laundry, folding the laundry and putting away the laundry is the scourge of my existence.
I'd always wanted to have children, but I was unprepared for how the news that I would soon be a father would affect me. I immediately began to imagine all the things that I would need to do and instantly felt the pressure of another person's life depending on me.
Putting a baby in your wife's belly gets you an invitation to her OB/GYN appointments.
I don't know how to best say this, so I'm just going to blurt it out. If you have never seen, or had, a pelvic exam, let me tell you something -- it's not how you imagine it.

When your wife (or really any woman) asks for your opinion about baby accessories, she is just being polite. I may be overgeneralizing, but they don't care, even a little bit, what you think. And, to be honest, it's probably better that way.
I didn't initially expect that I would become more emotional than I already was, but this job will change you.
Don't eat Doritos before you coach your wife through childbirth and definitely don't forget to have your mother leave the room when the baby arrives... my wife is still annoyed that my mom saw her vagina.
Once you've feel it, you'll never forget how warm and thick baby vomit is.
You can drop a baby without hurting them -- if you get a lucky bounce.
Everyone should watch a lion eat with their 2-year-old.
Dangerous elements aside, don't try and control which experiences get to be part of the recipe that creates who your children will be one day.
Endless decisions are made and carried out by our moms in homes all around the world. Each step holds the hope of survival, growth and prosperity, but as important and plentiful as these women and their work are, it goes unseen by most.
You can't bank sleep, so enjoy it when you can.
There is no such thing as gender specific tasks.
When my children become adults and find themselves reflecting on our time together, I want the feeling to endure more than the words themselves. Like the difference between being told that you are loved and the feeling of being hugged by a person who loves you. I want them to feel my hug wrapping around them... always.
Most guys wish that they had a closer relationship with their fathers. Break that cycle.
Life really is about the pauses in between the moments.
Being told that your child will require an infusion of man-made insulin multiple times throughout the day and night to stay alive is devastating.
Don't stop and don't give up.
I was estranged from my father for most of my life and only reconnected with him in his last few years... I wish we had found each other again much sooner.
If you open your heart, your family will fill it with a glorious feeling that transcends description.

Scott Benner 6/12/14 Scott Benner 6/12/14

Book Review and Giveaway: Dealing with Diabetes Burnout

Dealing with Diabetes Burnout: How to Recharge and Get Back on Track When You Feel Frustrated and Overwhelmed Living with Diabetes - A new book from Ginger Vieira

Buy on Amazon

Ginger Vieira's latest book is geared mostly toward adults living with diabetes, but I found it to be a wonderful resource just the same. As the parent of a child living with type I diabetes, I often find myself wondering what it feels like to live with the disease. I do my best to imagine what Arden is thinking, feeling and experiencing, but I know that I'll never be able to fully comprehend. I'm happy to tell you that after reading 'Dealing with Diabetes Burnout' I'm closer to understanding than ever before.

The book is very well written and presented, Ginger's voice, humor and wisdom is apparent throughout. There's a wonderful section that offers advice to D-parents that I found helpful and tons of contributors from all over the diabetes community.

We can work, hope and pray that our children don't go through bouts of burnout, but lets face it, they probably will. Ginger's book helps to prepare you for those moments and gives sound advice on how to combat and live well through them.

You can enter below to win a copy from Arden's Day or if you can't wait... pick one up today in stores or online.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner of the book will be chosen at random. Book will be shipped directly from Ginger's publisher, DemosHEALTH. There are many ways to enter, just login to the Raffelcopter app for details (It's super easy). -- Buying through my link will help to support Arden's Day.

Scott Benner 6/12/14 Scott Benner 6/12/14

iHealth to launch smaller glucometer, drop test strip price

Interesting...

From: http://mobihealthnews.com

iHealth Labs, a San Francisco-based subsidiary of China’s Andon Health, has received FDA clearance for iHealth Align, a new smaller, smartphone-enabled glucometer. iHealth announced the product along with a new pricing strategy for diabetes care, dubbed Simple Savings.

Of course, the real cost to consumers for at-home blood glucose monitoring is in the test strips that must be continuously reordered. Under its Simple Savings program, iHealth will drop the cost of its test strips for both devices to $12.50 for a box of 50 strips ($0.25 a piece), about a quarter of the price of many name brand strips.

“It’s probably more of a known secret in the marketplace that the real margins is within the strips,” Lin said. “We just felt like, we want to pass on all that savings to the end users. It’s got to be simple to understand. You don’t have to go through all these issues for reimbursement. We brought it down to pretty much co-pay.”

Read the entire story here...

Scott Benner 6/10/14 Scott Benner 6/10/14

Interview: University of Alabama Catcher and Type I Diabetic, Molly Fichtner

I asked Molly if there is one trait that everyone who makes it as far as she has possesses, and after some consideration she answered, “Shear determination”.

University of Alabama’s catcher Molly Fichtner is someone whose story needs to be told for a number of reasons. You may be interested in hearing about a young woman who has been working at her sport since childhood, others will want to know how a type I diabetic balances playing at the very top of a grueling hot weather sport with the insulin and carbohydrates that are required for her to live. I think that many who read this will be impressed at how Molly left UT-San Antonio so that she could chase a dream.

Though these are all good reasons to Interview Molly, none are why I tracked her down. I wanted to speak with Molly because she possess a will to succeed that is not often seen.

Molly began her journey to the 2014 NCAA Woman’s College World Series by playing Little League baseball with the boys and she said that she, “threw a fit” when her parents told her that she needed to switch to softball. Seems like her parents knew what they were talking about…

Molly really dove headfirst into softball when she was twelve years old. At that time she was playing on an 18u team (18 years old and under) and found herself asking her dad to hit her ground balls even after she would arrived home from day long summer practices, “that’s when my parents began to understand how much I wanted it”. Molly continued to work hard into high school, “I think I started peaking between my freshman and sophomore year and I thought, hey I could play in college”. She hit the gym, adding strength to her 5’ 2” frame and power to her swing, “I like being the underdog, I am 5’ 2” but my goal was to play like I was six feet tall”.

The winter after Molly first played with the older girls, at age twelve, she was diagnosed with type I diabetes during her Christmas break, Molly lost over ten pounds in a month and experienced other tell-tale signs of type I diabetes; like frequent urination, an insatiable thirst and generally feeling terrible. Those symptoms prompted Molly’s grandmother (a type 2 diabetic) to suggest that the family use her blood glucose meter on Molly. That’s the first time anyone would strike a hole in Molly’s finger to test her blood, her blood sugar was so high on Christmas Day that her grandmother’s meter couldn’t offer a number, it only said, “HI”.

Today Molly has a plan for handling every aspect of her type I diabetes in her life and when she plays softball. Her trainers test her blood sugar every thirty minutes during games and practices. She told me that regimen works the best for her but noted that during particularly intense games her adrenaline can spike, sending her blood glucose value climbing. She also knows that her blood sugar tends to get low after night games and so she makes adjustments to her food and insulin that help avoid them. Type I diabetes is certainly a challenge, it’s impact on the body can not be denied but, Molly doesn’t let that get in her way in her daily life and it didn’t stop her from becoming UT-San Antonio’s catcher.

In two years at UT-San Antonio Molly started in over one hundred games, she was receiving accolades and having success, “but I didn’t feel like I was being pushed to see how far I could actually go”. Her parents sat Molly down and asked if she wanted to transfer. “It wasn’t about the playing, it wasn’t about anything (softball related), it was about having the experience”.

What Molly told me next is where her story lies. “When I arrived at Alabama I didn’t even know if I was going to play and it didn’t matter to me”. What Molly wanted was a chance to push herself, she wanted to be surrounded by the best to see if she could measure up, to have the opportunity to learn from the best; she wanted more and somehow at the age of twenty had the courage to give up a sure thing to get the chance to breath rarified air. I tried to tell Molly that I thought that what she did was incredibly brave but I don’t think that she saw it that way and after talking to her for a little longer, I started to see why. I think Molly just didn’t want to stop growing. What I saw initially as bravery, I soon began to think of as perspective. I told Molly that many of the people that I’ve met who have type I diabetes seem to have a very clear perspective on life and that I thought that clarity comes partially from living with a chronic illness.

During her freshman year at UT-San Antonio Molly played in a tournament against the Crimson Tide. “I got to see them firsthand. I looked at the players; the camaraderie… there was something different about the program. I was catching so I could hear them in their dugout”. That day Molly went 2 for 2 with two home runs and she threw out one of Alabama’s fastest runners trying to steal. She thinks that her performance in that game helped her when she called Coach Murphy to inquire about playing for the Crimson Tide.

Before Molly could make the call to Tuscaloosa, she had to ask UT-San Antonio to release her because NCAA rules prohibit players and schools from talking about such things while they are signed with another institution. She had to be released from the UTSA Softball Program and cleared by the NCAA prior to contacting Coach Murphy.

You can see why I thought Molly was brave; she told me that she was scared when she asked for her release, “They pulled my scholarship right away… I had no where to go”. Molly gave up a full scholarship and guaranteed playing time to have the chance to find out what she was made of. Molly Fichtner is a person who understands that life is more than just succeeding, it’s about being motivated and fearless, life is about wondering what you don’t know and having the audacity to try and find out.

I asked Molly if there is one trait that everyone who makes it as far as she has possesses, and after some consideration she answered, “Shear determination”.

Her advice to kids who have aspirations of playing at a higher level was simple but profound. “A lot of kids, when they think they’re good - they stop working. The determination to be the best you can be and to keep working and to not be satisfied, that’s what’s going to separate you in the long run. Be determined to take your ability as far as it can go”.

Last week Alabama fell short of winning the Woman’s College World Series in Molly’s senior year, losing to Florida in the championship round, but when she spoke about the experience all I heard was a positive attitude. She talked about wanting to have an impact on kids playing softball and being a part of helping them to fulfill their dreams through coaching by getting her Master’s Degree and continuing to try to find the parts of herself that have yet to be challenged.

I described to Molly that I often tell my children, who both play competitive baseball and softball respectively, that I don’t care about the end result... I care about how they do what they're doing.

Molly interjected, “At Alabama we call that process over outcome”.

I think that phrase perfectly describes Molly’s life and her success. In fact, I can’t think of a better message for people living with diabetes, children who dream of playing a sport on the world’s stage or the little girls who will grow up to be the next generation of woman; so I’m going to stop writing - even though I could go on all day about how impressed I was with Molly Fichtner.

Listen to Molly on the Juicebox Podcast